Besan Ka Halwa is a quick and easy Pakistani dessert that is super delicious. It’s made from chickpea flour, sugar, ghee, and cardamom powder. Ready in just 20 minutes it's probably the easiest halwa you'll ever make.
Love traditional desserts? Also try these: Suji ka Halwa, Sheer Khurma, and Egg Halwa.
Today I’m sharing with you, one of the first Pakistani desserts I learned to make...and given that I barely knew how to cook then, this is proof enough that this is a super easy dessert.
It tastes just like the basan halwa or barfi you get from the halwai's shop (traditional sweet shop).
After I got married, I would often spend time on Pinterest looking up easy desserts because I’ve got a major sweet tooth. I would make brownies and cookies and cakes.
But after living away from Pakistan for awhile, I started missing Pakistani food and desserts like Shahi Tukda.
The thing was though, I wasn’t any good at making Pakistani desserts so I wanted to go super easy on myself.
And so the first halwa I ever made was this besan ka halwa. And guess what? It was SO easy that I didn’t fail at the first attempt!
What is besan? Besan is chickpea flour, sometimes also called gram flour. It is made from ground dry chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans.
Chickpea flour is very versatile and used quite a lot in Pakistani and Indian recipes…we make Pakoras with it, we make Kadhi with it and we also make besan ka halwa…yum!
Why this Recipe Works
- Quick & Easy: This is by no means a complicated traditional dessert. Lots of Pakistani and Indian halwas and mithais call for many ingredients and a long cooking time. But this beautiful basan halwa is ready in just about 20 minutes!
- Pantry Ingredients: This halwa is a very pantry-friendly recipe. It includes all the ingredients that are usually already available in most households in the subcontinent. You can also find them easily available in big supermarkets, Indian stores, or even online.
- Tastes Amazing: This halwa is super easy to make, but tastes like you labored over it for ages.
What You'll Need
- Ghee/Clarified Butter: A crucial ingredient used in traditional mithai and desserts. You can however substitue with butter, and it will still taste fabulous. I would not recommend using oil for this recipe, as the flavor won't be as good.
- Chickpea flour: Also known as besan or gram flour, this is the key ingredient here. It's available in most big grocery stores, and is easy to find. Learn how to make your own chickpea flour here.
- Milk: Full cream milk is best for this recipe, as it gives a richer flavor to the halwa. Some recipes call for only water, but I think milk adds a really good flavor to this halwa.
- Sugar: I use white granulated sugar and find that it gives the best result. You can also use jaggery or brown sugar instead.
- Cardamom: For this recipe I used cardamom pods which I roughly crushed to impart their flavor. You can easily substitute with cardamom powder.
- Pistachios: I love pistachios so that's what I used but you can top with your favorite nuts such as almonds or cashew nuts. Even walnuts would pair deliciously with this halwa.
How to Make It
- Melt the ghee: Start by melting ghee in a skillet, and keep the heat low. Now add the besan, and cook on low heat, while stirring constantly.
- Roast the Besan: Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the besan has changed color, and has released a nutty, buttery aroma. It will be genetly bubbling/foaming, and have thickened up a bit but will still be in a liquid state.
- Add the Milk: Now add the milk, and stir constantly.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes: Keep the heat low, and keep stirring until the moisture has evaporated. This happens fairly quick, so it's important to keep stirring.
- Add the Sugar and Cardamom: Now it’s time to add the sugar and cardamom pods. Again cook for 4-5 minutes while stirring until the halwa starts holding it's shape, leaves the sides of the pan, and forms into an almost ball like shape.
- To Serve: You can enjoy the halwa with a spoon while it's still warm, or transfer to a serving dish and spread it out. Once it has completely cooled down, you can cut it into squares and enjoy it like besan ki barfi.
Key Tips
- Cook on Low: While making this recipe, keep the heat low at ALL TIMES. Chickpea flour can go from a beautiful roasted golden brown to burned very quickly. So it's best to make the entire recipe on low heat.
- Roasting the Besan: This is key to developing that professional halwa/mithai flavor, and if you don't roast the besan enough, it just won't taste as good and will still have a raw taste to it.
- Add the Milk Gradually: When adding the milk, pour it in slowly and keep stirring, to avoid creating lumps.
- Pay Attention to the Texture: The texture of this halwa changes several times during the cooking process, so it's importatnt to always be attentive and keep stirring at all times.
Recipe FAQs
You can store this basan halwa in the fridge for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container.
For this recipe, I would recommend using either ghee or butter. Oil will not have the same results, and the flavor of the halwa won't develop as nicely.
More Delicious Pakistani Desserts to Enjoy
Note: This recipe was originally published 29 January 2019, and has been updated for step-by-step pictures of the recipe, and also a video tutorial.
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Besan ka Halwa
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter OR ghee
- 1 cup besan
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cardamom pods crushed
- 1/4 cup slivered pistachios
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pan or skillet, heat the ghee or butter.
- Add the besan, and roast on low heat until the besan starts turning golden brown and releases a nutty aroma, around 5-7 minutes. The besan will be gently bubbling, and still in a liquid state.
- Add the milk slowly, while continuously stirring the besan so that no lumps form. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until the moisture evaporates and the halwa starts holding its shape.
- Now add the sugar and cardamom powder, and stir to combine.
- Keep stirring on low heat, until the halwa starts to form a ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the pot.
- Transfer to a serving dish, and top with the nuts.
Notes
- Ghee/Clarified Butter: A crucial ingredient used in traditional mithai and desserts. You can however substitue with butter, and it will still taste fabulous. I would not recommend using oil for this recipe, as the flavor won't be as good.
- Chickpea flour: Also known as besan or gram flour, this is the key ingredient here. It's available in most big grocery stores, and is easy to find.
- Milk: Full cream milk is best for this recipe, as it gives a richer flavor to the halwa.
- Sugar: I use white granulated sugar and find that it gives the best result. You can also use jaggery or brown sugar instead.
- Cardamom: For this recipe I used cardamom pods which I roughly crushed to impart their flavor. You can easily substitute with 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom powder.
- Pistachios: I love pistachios so that's what I used but you can top with your favorite nuts such as almonds or cashew nuts. Even walnuts would pair deliciously with this halwa.
- Cook on Low: While making this recipe, keep the heat low at ALL TIMES. Chickpea flour can go from a beautiful roasted golden brown to burned very quickly. So it's best to make the entire recipe on low heat.
- Roasting the Besan: This is key to developing that professional halwa/mithai flavor, and if you don't roast the besan enough, it just won't taste as good.
- Add the Milk Gradually: When adding the milk, pour it in slowly and keep stirring, to avoid creating lumps.
- Pay Attention to the Texture: The texture of this halwa changes several times during the cooking process, so it's importatnt to always be attentive and keep stirring at all times.
My besan was clumpy as soon as i added it into the butter. And it came out a bit dry also. Perhaps the butter was insufficient? And should I try using a sieve for the besan next time? Or it could be the pot I used? Taste was great, just the texture seemed really off. Would appreciate any feedback.. thank you.
I'm not sure what could have gone wrong, but it might be that you used less milk, and did you continuously stir while adding the milk slowly? That's the part where the besan can get clumpy. I don't think you need to use a sieve for the besan. I hope this helps! 🙂
nice thanks for sharing!! This is one of my favorite sweet dishes,, I will try to make it by following your instructions..
Absolutely love this recipe.
It was so simple and easy to follow and absolutely YUM!
Thank you so much Areeba! I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙂